Review by Kathleen Costa
Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Originally, Gin Jones starting writing the first book, One Cat for the Road, in her Crazy Cat Lady series in late 2019. I had a sneak peek, and found it a clever and entertaining cozy mystery starring a young nurse with her cat and some unique special abilities with some dystopian drama about the “Disasters” that ten years ago destroyed much of the human and animal population. But, our world changed in 2020 with the pandemic taking our lives on an seemingly endless roller coaster ride; she decided to hold off on releasing the series. Fortunately, she kept on writing, and now with many communities opening up, she has three books to share in her Crazy Cat Lady Chronicles. Don’t miss out!
Crazy Cat Lady is Born!
Nurse, witch, crazy cat lady? Everyone has an opinion. Wyn Miller was a nurse practitioner working with many end-of-the-road Tox patients at City Hospital. Sadly, she discovered she’d become more hardened by the experience, so she quit! She took possession of her final patient’s cat and went in search of a new community where she could open her own medical practice. She discovered her large, orange Maine Coon cat Sal had an unusual, yet positive, effect on Tox patients, and offering “animal therapy” to her medical services was her plan. But finding a new place was harder than she thought with so much in disarray and dysfunctional. The Federal Health Administration was looking for medical practitioners, like herself, to travel to different rural communities and provide necessary medical treatments, and after agreeing to a laborious list of rules and regulations, Wyn and Sal chose to start their work in Silver Glen. She’d advertised her services as a private nurse for terminal Tox patients, and one respondee was in…yes, Silver Glen. The perfect opportunity to provide needed medical attention, and a way, on the FHA dime, to search for a permanent location for her own practice. A bit of “two birds with one stone” it turns out.
Two Cats are Better Than One Earns 5/5 Perfect Purrs…Engaging & Entertaining!
Wyn’s new patient, Peter Staton, is not doing well, verified by his diminishing coppery-colored aura that Wyn is able to use as one of her diagnostic tools, yet he is pleased to have Wyn and her unusual cat helping him in his final weeks. Wyn believes, if she can keep him comfortable and engaged for the next few weeks, he has a chance. The evidence has shown that Tox patients over fifty-five show a marked improvement, and Peter’s fifty-fifth birthday is only six weeks away. She applies her best efforts, along with the assistance from young neighbor Becca Hayes, and discovers providing Peter with a daily purpose or a “puzzle” to occupy his time has positive results. Well, positive is a relative term for neighbor Chuck who has been found dead. Wyn suspects it’s not natural causes or an accident since the man’s precious walking stick was oddly a few feet away from the body. Of course, Chuck’s girlfriend, the “crazy chicken lady,” is under suspicion, and to placate Peter, Wyn starts to look into the incident.
Don’t Miss Out! Yes, some might think it not the right time for such a storyline…I totally disagree! I found Gin Jones’s new series sensitive, clever, and entertaining as she portrays a world decimated by a contagion, yet a resiliency of those survivors. Her unique vision of the disease she named the “Tox” and its impact on the population mirrors some of what we see in the headlines when it comes to community fears and misinformation, but her literary response is to highlight the caring, sensitivity, resolve, and responsibility many have for Tox patients and their community. Wyn ultimately has the best of intentions to help Tox patients with fascinating alternative techniques (aura reading, Sal’s presence, nutrition, and company), as well as her plan to mentor sixteen-year-old Becca in basic medical training, but she’s also showing a growing affinity for criminal investigations with an amateur, yet collaborative, style. The murder mystery had the right amount of intrigue, twists, and misdirection to challenge my inner detective, with a final motive a surprising reveal. Gin’s descriptive writing style with realistic banter illustrating personalities and her varied and diverse cast of characters had me engaged. Wyn and Sal definitely have become literary favorites!
Crazy Cat Lady Chronicles
One Cat for the Road (2021) KRL Review HERE.
Two Cats are Better Than One (2021)
Three’s a Clowder (November, 2021)
Preorder Alert!
Book Three, Three’s a Clowder, is set to release in early November and is on Amazon Preorder HERE. It’s not easy for Wyn to travel from patient to patient with a clowder of cats in tow. This challenge is exacerbated by Lizzie, her new patient, who wants to employ Wyn’s other skill: amateur detective. The murder of the town's schoolteacher puts Lizzie’s legacy of establishing the town of Harrisfield in jeopardy. With Sal at her side, Wyn races to find the killer and save the town.
Be a Big Gin Jones Fan!
USA Today bestselling author Gin Jones writes several cozy mystery series. She penned my favorite Garlic Farm Mysteries which follows Mabel Skinner who inherited her aunt’s garlic farm. She also wrote the Helen Binney Mysteries about the former governor’s wife whose physical challenges do not prevent her investigating trouble. She is part of two multi-author series: the Danger Cove Farmer’s Market Mystery following Maria Dolores, manager of the Lighthouse Farmers’ Market and Danger Cove Quilting Mysteries featuring quilt-appraiser-turned-amateur sleuth Keely Fairchild along with a crossover partnering Maria and Keely together. All are well worth one’s time!
To enter to win an ebook copy of Two Cats are Better Than One, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "better,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 16, 2021. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! A new episode went up this week.
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Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.
Glad she kept writing! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteI agree two cats are better than one, which is why I have two cats. Would really like to read.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I love, love, love the title of Gin Jone's book. In our neighborhood I am considered the crazy
ReplyDeletecat lady. We have two inside cats. I've taken five ferals and tend to them with food and water.
We also let them sleep in our garage in the winter and in the summer they love our front porch
or our flower gardens. I'm anxiously anticipating reading this book.
robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com
We have a winner!
ReplyDelete